So after a rather long summer hiatus from hiking of any kind, due to various life events, Erin and I decided to go for a like 4 mile hike during the beautiful Labor Day weekend here in New England. The temperatures have been a farcry from what they were a few days ago, so it was perfect weather for nice day hike.

I recently decided it was time for a tripod upgrade, mostly out of necessity since I purchased a Nodal Ninja pano head, but I didn’t want to break the bank to terribly much.  After much research on Amazon and Adorama, I settled on the Manfrotto 190XB.  This is an aluminum legged tripod that provides excellent height range for shots that require either very low angle (a few inches) or very high angle (60 inches).  As a photographer who thrives on frugality, I like to get the biggest bang for the buck …

Well I just finished a redesign of ModernDayThoreau that I feel makes the site more approachable and easy to use.  Please let me know what you think in the comments.
Also here is the photo of the week(although not every week as you can tell) for the second week in March

In northern New York at the military barracks, this abandoned building stood out…If you view the original size you can see a disturbing message above the door.

So i decided that the next lens in my arsenal would be a fisheye lens for those unique situations that call for such a wide angle, 180° to be precise. After looking around I decided to try the Pro-Optic 8mm Fisheye since I didn’t want to spend $1000 on the Sigma 8mm Fisheye if I found It wasn’t a type of photography I used to much. Several of the other Pro-Optic lens’ have gotten pretty decent reviews, but I was hard pressed to find any for this lens. I decided to take the plunge and this is what i’ve found.

Taken on the Ponkapaug Trail hike, this little tree was all alone in the field.  Click the image to see the full size.

Last weekend I bravely decided to go for a winter hike in the cold January weather in the hills of the greater Boston area. Blue Hills Reservation is a great spot that offers numerous trails of all different lengths and skill levels (if you’ve read any of my other post you know I’m quite fond of the spot). On saturday, in the low 20° New England weather I thought I’d try a trail that was a little more flat since the ground was so frozen. So, me, my trusty side-kick Erin, and my camera embarked on a small winter quest. Ponkapoag Pond is located on the southern part of the reservation just south of RT 95 and is on a dead end street right off the highway, so you can’t miss it.

Happy Holidays!  A Christmas themed Photo of the Week.

Here is a little Xmas Spirit for the photo of the week.  Check out more of my photos.

As the winter months approach in New England, I find myself desiring less day hikes and more multi day trips. New Enland in the fall and winter is one of the most beautiful places I know, and as such I feel compelled to travel to all over it to take in as much as I can. This last weekend was my 25th birthday (or as my mother so nicely points out that i’m halfway to fifty) and I decided to take a 2day/1night trip to the beautiful coastal town of Rockland Maine. Rockland is an old fishing town whose roots are planted as deep as the great forests that surround it, and whose citizenry is kind and welcoming to visitor and local alike.

Well I am back after about a month long hiatus so without further delay here is the Photo of the Week for the last week in October.  Enjoy.
Check out more photos on my Photo Site and on my Flickr